Primary Source Document
with Questions (DBQs)

E X C E R P T S F R O M T H E I N D E P E N D E N T ( T O N G N I P S I N M U N ) :

E D I T O R I A L O N “ N A T I O N A N D C I V I L I Z A T I O N ” :

A P E R I O D I C A L F O R T H E K O R E A N P E O P L E

Introduction
In 1875, a Japanese naval expedition to Korean shores set into motion a series of events that resulted in the
“opening” of Chosŏn to increased exchange and interaction with foreign nations. After 1876, Chosŏn signed a
series of treaties first with Japan and then with the major Western and regional powers (the United States, Russia,
England, France, etc.). Formally, these treaties established Chosŏn/Korea as a “nation” like any other (rather than a
state with a special tributary relationship with China), but in substance they accorded foreign nations new
privileges within the peninsula and set the stage for a struggle among imperial and would‐be imperial powers for
control or influence over Korean affairs. Chosŏn’s king and other Korean leaders were often left to try to play
foreign states off against one another.
Korean intellectuals took a variety of positions with respect to these developments, from rejection of foreign
intercourse to enthusiasm for alliance with and emulation of outside forces, embrace of a pan‐Asian alliance to
counter Western imperialism, or a nationalist emphasis on Korean identity and unity. One important group, led by
Sŏ Chaep’il (1866‐1951; who had studied medicine in the United States under the name Philip Jaisohn), Yun Ch’iho
(1865‐1945), and others, launched an important bilingual (Korean/English) newspaper in 1896, The Independent
(Tongnip sinmun), that provided patriotic editorial commentary on Korean affairs while emphasizing the nation
and the development of Korea along a (new) civilizational scale.

From The Independent (Tongnip sinmun), 7 April 1896 and 30 April 1896.
Excerpts from The Independent (Tongnip sinmun):
Editorial on “Nation and Civilization”: A Periodical for the Korean People


Editorial on “Nation and Civilization”: A Periodical for the Korean People
The time seems to have come for the publication of a periodical in the interests of the
Korean people. By the Korean people we do not mean merely the residents in Seoul and vicinity
nor do we mean the more favored classes alone, but we include the whole people of every class
and grade. To this end three things are necessary: first, that it shall be written in a character
intelligible to the largest possible number; second, that it shall be put on the market at such a
price that it shall be within the reach of the largest possible number; third, that it shall contain
such matter as shall be for the best interests of the largest possible number.
To meet the first of these requirements it has been put in the native character called the
ŏm‑mun, for the time is shortly coming, if it is not already here, when Koreans will cease to be
ashamed of their native character, which for simplicity of construction and phonetic power
compares favorably with the best alphabets in the world. Difficulty is experienced by those not
thoroughly acquainted with the ŏm‑mun from the fact that ordinarily there are no spaces
between words. We therefore adopt the novel plan of introducing spaces, thus doing away with
the main objection to its use. We make it bi‑literal because this will act as an incentive to
English‑speaking Koreans to push their knowledge of English for its own sake. An English page
may also command the paper in the patronage of those who have no other means of gaining
accurate information in regard to the events which are transpiring in Korea. It hardly needs to
be said that we have access to the best sources of information in the capital and will be in
constant communication with the provinces.
To meet the second requirement we have so arranged the size of the sheet as to be able
to put it on the market at a price which will make it unnecessary for anyone to forego its
advantages because of inability to buy.
To meet the third requirement is a more difficult matter. What Korea needs is a unifying
influence. Now that the old order of things is passing away, society is in a state which might be
described as intermediate between two forms of crystallization. The old combinations of forces
have been broken up or are rapidly breaking up and they are seeking new affinities. The near
future will probably decide the mode of rearrangement of the social forces.
It is at this moment when Korean society is in a plastic state that we deem it opportune
to put out this sheet as an expression at least of our desire to do what can be done in a
journalistic way to give Koreans a reliable account of the events that are transpiring, to give
reasons for things that often seem to them unreasonable, to bring the capital and the provinces
into greater harmony through a mutual understanding of each other’s needs, especially the
need that each has of the other.
Our platform is ― Korea for the Koreans, clean politics, the cementing of foreign
friendships, the gradual though steady development of Korea, resources with Korean capital, as
far as possible, under expert foreign tutelage, the speedy translation of foreign text‑books into
Korean that the youth may have access to the great things of history, science, art, and religion
without having to acquire a foreign tongue, and long life to HIS MAJESTY, THE KING.

Questions for discussion:
1. The Korean edition of The Independent was published using Koreans’ “native
characters” — that is, the alphabet invented by King Sejong and his advisors in
the fifteenth century — rather than Chinese characters. What significance did
this shift have?
2. How might it compare with turns to vernacular language in other historical
contexts?
3. What did The Independent stand for(in terms of policy)?
4. What was the significance in the emphasis on the interests of Koreans “of every
class and grade”?
5. How was this different from the emphasis of politics earlier in the Chosŏn
dynasty?
6. What were the alternatives to “Korea for the Koreans”?